Matthieu Blazy's Debut Chanel Cruise Show in Biarritz

Chanel presented its Cruise 2026/27 collection in Biarritz, the seaside city where Gabrielle Chanel opened her couture house in 1915. The show marked Matthieu Blazy's first Cruise collection as Artistic Director of Fashion Activities. Titled "Sous le salon la plage," the collection collapses the divide between interior and exterior, refinement and practicality. Blazy drew on Biarritz's layered cultural history where artists, aristocrats, workers, and sailors coexisted. The collection moved fluidly between French workwear, seaside leisure, and couture tradition. The iconic black dress, introduced by Chanel in 1926, opened the show. The Basque stripe emerged as a recurring motif. Materials included fluid silks, springy tweeds, raffia, and beaded knits. Accessories ranged from compact valises to oversized striped beach paniers, waterproof flap bags, Art Deco heels, and minimal "heel caps." Jewelry combined geometric Art Deco with aquatic references like shell earrings and pearls. The double C motif was integrated subtly as a structural element.